Posts in Upper School

Spring Diversity Banquet Celebrates Affinity Group Leaders

[ May 14, 2014 ]

Nearly 50 students were recognized at this year’s Spring Diversity Banquet, an all-school celebration of Upper School students’ positive contributions to the Riverdale community.

“The Spring Banquet is a time to celebrate and reflect on the year’s many successes, specifically setting aside time to acknowledge and publicly thank those student leaders who have made a positive contribution to the Riverdale community,” says Dwight Vidale ’01, Director of Community Engagement.

“This year, we acknowledged all 20+ participants in the Riverdale Leadership Summit, as well as the 12 affinity group leaders,” Dwight adds. “We also publicly thanked seven outstanding students who were recognized by the faculty for their good work this year.”

Riverdale First NY Independent School to Be Named a ‘Safe Sports School’

[ May 12, 2014 ]

The National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) has awarded Riverdale a Safe Sports School First Team designation. To be eligible, each school needs to meet a set of criteria on safety protocols; First Team awards are given to schools that have acted on all Recommended and Required elements of a safe sports school, while Second Team awards are for schools that have completed only required elements.

In order to achieve Safe Sports School status, athletic programs must do the following:

Eleven Seniors Spend their Final Weeks of High School in Senior Project Program

[ May 12, 2014 ]

Each year, several seniors choose to forego their last three weeks of classes to instead focus on a project that is meaningful to them. In the past, projects have ranged from creating political campaigns to staging a one-act play. This year, 11 students are pursuing their wide-ranging passions with a number of intriguing projects:
Brian Swift will be doing a fashion shoot organized around the question of how the environment helps to tell the story of fashion.
Gabe Murray is making a film about the role of technology in our lives. He will also be composing and recording music for the film.
Matt Pasquarelli is shooting a scene from a screenplay in three different styles. The scene focuses on issues of change and ...

Riverdale to Host Special Olympics NY Basketball Skills Tournament

[ May 09, 2014 ]

The Riverdale Intellectual Disabilities (RID) activity group has teamed up with Special Olympics New York (SONY) to host a Basketball Skills Tournament on Saturday, May 10.

Dave Celentano, the Senior Director of Programs at the New York City branch of SONY, says, “It has been inspiring to witness the Riverdale students’ dedication and commitment to this project.”
Taylor Atkin ’16, Walter Johnsen ’14, and George Frank ’15 are the principal RID organizers for this tournament, which will feature more than 100 SONY athletes competing in a variety of divisions in three specific skills: dribbling, passing, and shooting. SONY athletes will also be paired up with Riverdale students for a unified exhibition in ...

Latest Student Art Installation Inspired by Duchamp

[ May 09, 2014 ]

The most recent PICA (Projects in Contemporary Art) installation was inspired by Marcel Duchamp's infamous Fountain of 1917, which introduced the concept that a normal object could be transformed into a work of art.

PICA’s installation consists of a series of miniature urinals filled with real spring flowers of all different colors over a blue background. Each student signed a urinal following Duchamp’s invented signature “R. Mutt.” According to the students’ artist statement, the piece represents “a sort of spring fever …evokes the destruction of the environment with waste. It may also signify rebirth – that from a bleak winter may come new hope and new life. PICA welcomes spring and all its rain.”

Grade 10 Cleans Up Orchard Beach

[ May 06, 2014 ]

The Class of 2016 recently spent an afternoon cleaning up Orchard Beach in the Bronx as part of a grade-wide community service project.

After spending the morning taking the practice SAT exam, the sophomores went off campus to enjoy the great weather and help perform a valuable service to the community: cleaning up a section of nearby Orchard Beach.

“The kids did some good work and enjoyed the afternoon,” reports Upper School teacher Valerie Keller, one of the chaperones. Thanks to Emily Schorr Lesnick, Coordinator of Upper School Service Learning, for arranging the day.

Riverdale Community Celebrates Student Talent at Bi-Annual Event

[ May 06, 2014 ]

Nearly 400 parents, faculty, staff, alumni, and students gathered at the New-York Historical Society recently for a Spring Celebration of Riverdale students’ talents.

Guests enjoyed jazz music performed by students and faculty while they perused the displays of student art. They also chatted with students who were showcasing their recent science research, as well as their passions, such as fashion design, longboards, and customized bicycles created in the new Makerspace.
After mingling and cocktails, it was time for the entertainment portion of the evening. A fencing exhibition by two seniors and Coach Konate Primus turned interesting when Head of School Dominic A.A. Randolph was called upon to demonstrate his fencing skills—in his suit and red socks—with one of the students.
Although ...

Ten Students Recognized for Their Nonfiction Writing

[ May 06, 2014 ]

Four Middle School and six Upper School students have been awarded prizes in this year’s Nonfiction Writing Contest.

“It is exciting to see the excellent writing and scholarship that our students in all grades have produced, and while only a few essays have been singled out, all the submissions were impressive,” said Sarah Banks, on behalf of the committee that reviewed the contest entries.

In the Middle School, the Grade 6 winner was Lucy Pan, "New Orleans's Water". There was a tie in Grade 7: Daniel Betensky for “Gun Control Essay” and Michael Maffezzoli for ”The Death Penalty.” Stephanie Shwartz was the Grade 8 winner with “Falling into Despair.”

Upper School Assembly Focuses on Girls’ Education

[ May 06, 2014 ]

A recent Upper School assembly, sponsored by the Girls Leadership International activity group, brought to the forefront the plight of girls worldwide who are denied education. Tara Abrahams, Deputy Director of Girl Rising, a global campaign for girls’ education, was the featured speaker. In addition to explaining Girl Rising’s mission, Tara shared clips from the film, also called Girl Rising, that “journeys around the globe to witness the strength of the human spirit and the power of education to change the world. Viewers get to know nine unforgettable girls living in the developing world: ...

Riverdale Organizes Symposium for Young Men of Color

[ May 05, 2014 ]

More than 100 students from schools throughout the NYC area attended Riverdale’s 2014 Young Men of Color Symposium, “Capturing Our Passion; Strengthening Our Voice.”

“This symposium was a leadership conference for young men of color in independent schools in grades 6-12 in the NYC area,” explains organizer Dwight Vidale ’01, Riverdale’s Director of Community Engagement. “The day featured workshops and opportunities for participants to learn skills geared toward self-advocacy and academic achievement. The goal of the event was to create a collaborative community of schools serving young men of color.”

Keynote speaker Dr. Howard Stevenson set the stage for the day by creating a safe space for the young men of color to be honest, vulnerable, and authentic. Dr. Stevenson is Professor of Education and Africana Studies and former Chair of ...